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Alcohol is embedded into our society. Besides its traditional use as a social lubricant and its presence in nearly every celebration, the alcohol industry has psychologically programmed us to crave alcohol. But is it really adding to our enjoyment of life?

Today we have Ruari Fairbairns back on the show. He is the cofounder of One Year No Beer, a massive, global alcohol-free movement. Ruari started in a job where drinking was part of a successful career, but he when he became a dad, the late nights and hangovers threatened his relationship with his family. He quit alcohol and was surprised to find how it revolutionized his life. His story comes full circle with a recent encounter with the Dalai Lama.

Ruari talks about rewiring your brain and changing your relationship with alcohol. Whether it’s the occasional binge or a few daily beers after work, alcohol has a huge impact on your mental and physical wellbeing. He also tells us how to combat the stigma associated with not drinking and how to be alcohol-free and still have fun.

One Year No Beer

Society has conditioned you that you need alcohol to be successful, to be cool, to be sexy, to have fun, to relax, the list goes on and on. How will you fare going up against years of social conditioning, second-hand peer pressure and self-doubt, all on your own?

The key difference between One Year No Beer challenges and just “stopping drinking” is that we teach you to have a mindset shift. We help break down the habits associated with drinking, the same habits that can help change multiple areas of your life.

What You’ll Learn

Alcohol is the most harmful drug in existence to individuals and society

How Ruari had the chance opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lamas surprising answer to Ruari’s question, “What would you say to somebody who is trying to change their relationships with addictions?”

Why we have to involve alcohol in social settings

The trillions of dollars the alcohol industry has spent on marketing

How our identity and tribalism are associated with alcohol

How society will soon shift away from promoting alcohol, just like cigarettes

The idea behind OYNB

How to fight peer pressure to drink

Stealth drinking (pretending to drink)

The “FEAR” behind quitting alcohol (False Evidence Appearing Real)

How to not be the boring sober person

How OYNB uses social media as a step to change

How if you’re drinking more than 5 or 6 beers a week regularly, the OYNB program will have a huge impact

How a low amount of alcohol can have a massive impact without you realizing it

How long it takes to process alcohol

How alcohol is literally poison—ethanol, a colorless flammable liquid

How the liver must process alcohol before anything else, including fat

Alcohol is a known depressant

Why hangovers last longer as you get older

Most people don’t know who they are or who they can be until they detox

Why choosing to quit is different from being forced to quit

What can dads expect who rely on a beer to chill out after work

How to still enjoy beer while being alcohol free

How drinking alcohol-free beer releases dopamine and helps you relearn how to relax without alcohol

How Ruari does drink sometimes

When quitting alcohol, think of what you’ll gain. If you come from a place from abstaining from something you love, it reaffirms that you’re making a sacrifice

The details of all One Year No Beer challenges

How to switch off a stressed brain at night

Freeing yourself from other addictions by starting with quitting alcohol—it will change your relationship with all things

How going alcohol free will help you be a better dad, husband, and man

When there’s pain, if you invest your time, energy, and resources where that pain is, it will most likely evolve and flourish.

What happens when we go through something so difficult that it rocks the very core of who we are? Today I have a real, raw discussion with Josiah Novak from True Transformation about my battle with insomnia, depression, and anxiety.

Regular listeners know that I just recovered from a 33-day bout of debilitating insomnia. It was the most insane thing I ever went through. It tested me mentally, emotionally, physically and I felt that I might lose everything that was important to me. For the first time in my life, I understood how awful depression and anxiety could be.

During this episode, I go through the story from beginning to end. Here are a few takeaway lessons from my experience.

Listen to your body

My insomnia began after vigorous training for SEALFIT 20X. After breaking my personal records, I didn’t feel right. Instead of listening to my body, I kept pushing myself and the adrenaline and cortisol from the intense workouts wouldn’t let my body calm down. I put myself through an unnecessary domino effect of absolute hell.

Ask for help right away

I couldn’t sleep for more than 90 minutes to 3 hours a night. I thought it would pass and go away on its own. It didn’t.

I couldn’t think right. I began to have panic attacks. If I had gotten help in the beginning, it may not had gotten to that point.

Don’t give up

My wife became a single mother during this time. I had gotten so depressed I didn’t know what to do with myself. There was tension in our relationship and I felt that if I couldn’t function, provide, or please her, what good was I as a man? At one point I thought I wouldn’t be able to hang on much longer. But eventually I broke the cycle. As desperate as I felt, there was an end to the nightmare.

The doctor isn’t always right

I tried all kinds of sleeping pills and psychiatric meds. I even swigged shots of Benadryl. One doctor told me that if my prescription didn’t work for me, there was no hope. Another doctor prescribed me four different powerful drugs to take everyday. They had awful side-effects. Against doctor’s orders, I tapered myself off and now use natural techniques to make sure I fall asleep.

Set boundaries

You can’t ‘yes’ to everything. In the end you spread yourself too thin and can’t give your attention to those who need it most, like your kids. Think about what’s important in your life and save your energy for your priorities.

Depression and Anxiety can happen to anybody

I now have tremendous compassion for people who have depression and anxiety. It’s not something anyone wants to have. It’s not something anyone can control. It represents emotional struggle, a cycle that no one knows how to deal with. It can seem like digging an endless hole. If you’ve never experienced it, you don’t know. Men do suffer depression and anxiety, and we should be talking about it.

We all go through times in our lives when the carpet is pulled from under us. Through no fault of our own, our lives spin out of control. We go through a hell that seems unending. We feel all that’s important to us slipping through our fingers. Today we talk about prevailing over the crucibles of life.

I just went through thirty-three days of horrendous insomnia. I only could get ninety minutes to three hours of sleep a night. I went to the ER twice and was hospitalized for four days. I tried all the meds, and nothing would put me down for more than three hours. I went to bed every night in fear, knowing I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I lost fifteen pounds. My blood pressure and blood sugar went up. As my health deteriorated, I worried about my business, the GDP podcast, and my family. For the first time in my life, I experienced anxiety and depression. I felt like I had no control as a I watched everything that was important to me slipping away.

In this episode I tell you how I got through this crucible in my life and how you can too.

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https://gooddadproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Prevailing-Through-the-Crucibles-of-Life.jpg388744Christa Wojciechowskihttps://gooddadproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/GDP-enfold-header-logo.pngChrista Wojciechowski2017-04-26 20:00:352017-04-27 13:15:57Prevailing Through the Crucibles of Life